Dr. Clarissa Williams is founder of the Brown Sugar and Lace Elder Honor and Support Community and Sponsor of NDOWE Scholarships in Springfield, Illinois. She is also a published author of one children’s book, Mommy, Teach Me to Pray, and one work of mature non-fiction, From Idolatry to the Heart of Worship.

Dr. Clarissa was born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, a midsized midwestern town that rose to national prominence in the late 1800’s as the residence of Abraham Lincoln, who would become the 16th President of the United States, and again as the locale of the 1908 race riot which gave rise to the creation of the NAACP. Against this historic backdrop, Williams grew up with a strong faith nurtured by her family church and an equally powerful sense of community.

Williams attended public schools in the city and went on to graduate from Anderson University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1983. She attended Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Policy and earned a Master of Public Administration degree in 1987. She attended Howard University School of Divinity in 2015 where she earned a Master of Divinity degree with an emphasis in biblical studies, and she attended Temple University where she earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 2002.

In most of her texts, Williams explores the themes of faith, community, worship and identity. Williams has also written a five-volume children’s book series that celebrates and explores cultural identity, connection of people groups throughout the US and African Diaspora and the enduring and vital theme of community. She has also written a children’s book introducing children to peers with disabilities.